Midnight Tangles
by Koure
Summary: "Done with your epiphany of how emo Cloudy has been, Sephy?"  In which Cloud is depressed, Sephiroth is slow, Zack is late, and I feel like making fun of them. But that's not what the stories about. Might go for a sequel for this. Very mild ZxSxC yaoi.


I have no words for this. At the moment.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII in any way shape or form.

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><p>A slight snarl roused a formerly sleeping blond from his sleep, causing sleepy blue eyes to wander the room until they fell upon the frustrated face of Sephiroth, who was attempting to run a comb through his waist length silver hair. Sephiroth's green eyes were narrowed, lips drawn partially back into a look that would terrify nearly every human being (And then some) on Gaia. He sat at the edge of the bed, chiseled chest and perfectly formed muscles, his bare skin occasionally being brushed by strands of previously mentioned hair. He wore a pair of dark blue slacks, hung loosely on his hips. The great General was very agitated it seemed, as his hair tended to accumulate into knots when he slept with it loose and it was a large hassle to comb it through. Sephiroth rarely forgot to braid his hair before he went to bed, but he had received his monthly Mako administration and hadn't the energy to do so.<p>

The blond, now properly awake, sat up quietly and pushed the covers off of him, crawling over to Sephiroth. He himself wore an overly large white t-shirt and a pair of light green pajama bottoms. Sephiroth noticed him when the bed dipped behind him, and gentle, yet nimble, fingers took the comb from him.

Neither spoke a word, but Sephiroth's green eyes softened into an apology for waking Cloud up. Cloud's lips tilted in a slight smile, and he began to patiently disentangle the mass of silver hair. Sephiroth knew that he should make the boy get to sleep, after all he had classes in the morning, but he couldn't bring himself to give up the comfort of Cloud's presence. The 17 year old had an infinite amount of patience it seemed. The General had yet to see the young Soldier loose his temper, and now, dead set in the middle of the required Exam for Soldier Knowledge that occurred every year, Cloud was calmly going about the task of managing such ridiculous hair. Sephiroth felt a moments guilt, since the length of his hair was in no way necessary to his living.

As if reading his down-spiraling thoughts, Cloud set the comb beside him and wrapped both arms around Sephiroth's waist, resting his chin on the man's shoulder. Sephiroth turned his head and tilted down to look at him, feline eyes searching.

"Why worry? I haven't left yet", Cloud said softly, his small smile becoming more like Zack's. Warm and joyful.

"That doesn't mean you will not leave in the future", Sephiroth murmured quietly, meeting those piercingly ice blue eyes. Eyes he had seen filled with fury and hate- directed towards himself. Nibelheim had been a tragedy, but one that he had been pulled back from in time to prevent that disaster from escalating. Not in time to stop himself from murdering everyone Cloud had known in his childhood, or burning the only place the younger man called home, though.

Cloud's smile faded, and he closed his eyes. Out of the three of them -Cloud, Zack, and himself- Cloud was the only one to distinctly remember what had happened. Zack had suffered some memory loss from being thrown into one of the tanks in the reactor, and Sephiroth had lost all memory of the event after being released from Jenova's influence.

Sephiroth had never dared ask the details, never read the case folder held in his very own office, or even questioned Zack, who he knew had talked to their young lover over what had happened. Sephiroth bowed his head, his bangs hanging limply around his face.

"I am... So sorry...", he whispered.

Cloud hadn't been able to look at him for a full year.

"Don't be sorry for something you can't remember".

He could hear the trace of bitterness in Cloud's voice, still.

Sephiroth had never been a man to display emotion, and even now, tears would not come for the horrible wrong he had committed against Cloud on that night. He could have used the excuse that he couldn't cry, that Hojo must have altered the ability, but he would be lying. He couldn't summon the tears, simple as that, though not for lack of pain.

He was surprised when the warmth of Cloud's arms and chin disappeared, and the young man began combing his hair again, delicately.

"I forgave you the moment I realized it wasn't fully you", Cloud murmured, causing the General to stiffen slightly.

"Then why would you not look at me? You even sustained disciplinary action for refusing to look and respond to me several times", Sephiroth spoke softly, confused.

"You never found out what happened that day, except that you destroyed Nibelheim and everyone in it, and were somehow stopped, correct?", Cloud queried, the slight bitterness in his voice again.

"Yes... But...", he hesitated, "Ever since, I have occasionally dreamed of your face, on that night I am sure. You appeared... Utterly engulfed in hatred. Hatred directed at me, and even then, were somehow calm".

Cloud continued to comb his hair, running his fingers through the section of neat and finely combed silver. He was nearly done.

"Zack tried to stop you, going easy. He didn't have the heart to try and kill you. I did. That night, I lost everything I had known. My mother, I pulled her body from our home as it burned. Further up the mountain, I found Tifa, and she wasn't far from death", Sephiroth had been aware of Cloud's former infatuation with the girl, he often wondered if that had mattered anything during the slaughter. But at the moment, his mind was still caught on '_I did_'.

"You weren't tired in the slightest when I arrived. A bit wounded, but still full of energy. I saw you, with that _thing, _and you were calling it _Mother. _Now I know that it wasn't really you, but at the time I didn't, and I was half insane with rage. 'Course, Zack egged me on to stop you, though I'm sure he wanted me to talk to you more than hurt you", Sephiroth's lips quirked into a smile. That sounded like Zack.

"You were the one who stopped me?", Sephiroth asked, turning his head when Cloud disappeared into the bathroom to find a hairband. The lithe body that crossed his line of vision looked haunted, and that put a halt to any amusement he found at Zack's antics.

Cloud was still suffering, so much? Should he not have recovered, at least in the slightest?

Cloud returned, white hairband in tow, and began to braid his hair.

"Yeah. We both stabbed the hell out of each other before I managed to nail the shit out of Jenova", Cloud sighed, which a part of Sephiroth cataloged for later evaluation, because he had _never _heard the young Soldier sigh.

"I do not have a-"

"Scar?", Cloud cut him off.

Sephiroth nodded mutely.

"Yours disappeared rather quickly. Less than three hours after it healed up, which only took about two", Cloud explained.

"Then you?..."

"Still have mine", Cloud confirmed.

"May I see it?", Sephiroth asked. He had never seen Cloud naked, (Let alone shirtless, now that he thought about it), as all three had astutely abided by ShinRa's legal age rule, because their little trio were breaking many rules to be together. (It totally wasn't that they were utterly absorbed with Cloud's innocence. Pshaw.)

Cloud finished the braid, and tugged his shirt up and over his head, revealing pale white skin and abs women gushed over. Sephiroth turned around, and noticed it immediately, a thin, two and a half inch pink scar on the center of Cloud's chest, which was undoubtedly matched with another on his back.

He ran gentle fingers over it, while watching Cloud for any signs of uncomfortableness. The blond showed none.

"I... Am utterly surprised you lived", the General stated honestly.

"In all rights, I probably should have died", Cloud said grimly.

Sephiroth frowned. Something nagged at him. The image of Cloud, suspended upon Masamune above him, impaling himself further to get closer, came to mind.

He remembered Zack's words, many days after the incident.

_Even if he won't have anything to do with you, keep a close eye on him._

Cloud had wanted to die?

Cloud was watching him as he realized something he should have, long before this. Without warning, and out of character for him, he pulled the younger man close to him, wrapping his arms around the seemingly frail body.

He understood now.

"Seph?..."

"I am sorry, that I could not understand how much pain you were in. That the night that happened, became so many different things for you", he said. That was the night Cloud had lost his home, his mother, his childhood, his hero. That was the night he tried to die, with everything else, and failed. He had lived in a world he felt no longer held a place for him, lived and loved in a relationship that bordered on the brink of destruction. Sephiroth had not realized that Cloud had something to fear in their love, and that was loss. Sephiroth felt the fear of loss, but it was that of Cloud leaving. He knew that he'd bear with it, if Cloud were happy with leaving, but the blond... The blond feared for their lives, and for the happiness they found with each other. For the peace he felt, that was so weighed down with depression.

"Done with your epiphany of how emo Cloudy has been, Sephy?"

And everything he thought crashed into little bits to be recollected later, because there was Zack, grinning like a fool and eating a piece of... Something.

"I have not been 'emo' Zack".

Zack's very presence was mending old pains, now that everything was out in the open. All that was left was to heal, and Zack was excellent at helping people heal from their past pain. Sephiroth felt reassured that things would begin to relax and get better, from there on out.

"I beg to differ babe", Zack replied. The raven haired male had crossed the room and snatched their blond angel from Sephiroth, which in turn made Cloud mother hen the puppy and silently order him to change into something to sleep in, as well as gave him a look that spoke volumes. _Wherever you have been, you better have a good excuse. Next time tell me when you're going to disappear for a few hours_.

"What is, 'Emo'?", Sephiroth questioned, not familiar with stereotypical teenage language.

His lovers (Though one was not _quite _there yet) deadpanned.

Next they glanced at each other, then at him.

"We'll explain another time", they both said, in perfect sync.

Somehow he found it suspicious.

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><p>PS. In no way am I intending to offend anyone. I just can't imagine Sephiroth knowing the improper language teenagers use today, and come on, everyone has heard Cloud being called emo. So Zack was making fun of him. Juuust a little. XD No harm done though. *waves my hand nonchalantly*<p>

Now. Why did I make this... Odd little bit of random 2:32 AM piece?...


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